“When you practice gratefulness, there is a sense of respect toward others.” Dalai Lama We are finishing the choir year. No matter what sort of choral organization you are involved with, things are winding down with the end of the school year, the concert year, and the church year. There are people out there you […]
Choral Culture
Choral Potpourri: Choral Ethics; Not Important Enough
“No person is important enough to make me angry.” Thomas Carlyle I have mentioned a few times in this blog I dislike whiners and tattletales. It’s the result of being the oldest of six children; the quickest way for me to tune out your story is to whine or tattle. I made sure my own […]
Choral Potpourri: Choral Ethics; Conductor Cults
“The great leaders are like the best conductors – they reach beyond the notes to reach the magic in the players.” Blaine Lee A few weeks ago, I had lunch with an old friend, Jay*, who is a choir friend of mine. He teaches and directs in the city, so we don’t always have time […]
Choral Potpourri: Choral Ethics; The Care and Feeding of Your Board
“Feed your brothers and sisters simply, graciously, with generous care, and you will secure a place in their heart.” Maximillian Degenerez The artistic director of a large choral organization in a suburban Midwestern setting, Dina* was astonished by the lack of communication between art groups when she first arrived in the community. Always one to […]
Choral Potpourri: Choral Ethics; Doing the Right Thing
“Do the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest.” Mark Twain About half of all emails I get are from folks who want my opinion about the right thing to do. I’ve written about this before; many choral directors don’t trust their instincts any longer and want validation. I don’t blatantly […]
Choral Potpourri: Choral Ethics; Some Advice Bears Repeating, Part Two
“There is no harm in repeating a good thing.” Plato Last week, I wrote about recently getting emails concerning three problems I know I have addressed before in this Blog. I wrote about one of those re-occurring problems—tardiness. This week, we will tackle the other two. Absences Like the tardiness issues from last week, if […]